Photography of Religious Architecture

Silenzio, per favore (Dennis Aubrey)

The people of Ravenna are justly proud of their great mosaic-filled basilicas. They were built fifteen centuries ago and still amaze us with their beauty and architectural perfection. When we visited with Angelico Surchamp last week, at the mention of Ravenna his eyes lit up and he said rapturously, “Ah, San Vitale”.

A sign of this local pride is that the churches are filled with school children of all ages on field trips. The younger ages all wear baseball caps of a certain color to identify them as a group. The older groups are less formal. As can be expected, the groups enter the church quietly, but the noise steadily mounts to almost deafening levels until a stentorian male voice speaks, greatly amplified electronically. Silenzio, per favore!

I am still smiling! The beautiful colors of the mosaics blend so well with the colorful outfits of the visiting students. As a docent at the Tucson Museum of Art I tour many children of all ages. They are all wonderful as we introduce these kids from all levels of society to the art of the museum, but my favorite age level is 5th and 6th graders. However I have to admit that the reactions of the 5 & 6 year olds are amazing and fun. (This from a retired High School art teacher who never wanted to teach at a grade school level.)

Comments on Via Lucis

“There are people who take pictures, there are photographers, and then, there is Via Lucis. This is the most incredible collection of images from Medieval churches I have yet seen. These places are amazing to start with, but what Dennis Aubrey and PJ McKey accomplish in these spaces with a camera is breathtaking.”

“How do you do it – time after time after time – beautiful photographs that need no words and beautiful words that need no photographs? Combined they transport us to the deepest place of our inner selves. Your gifts of self – an eye for finding the beauty in these ancient buildings and your ability to capture that beauty and share it with others – those are your blessings on those of us fortunate enough to know of your site and follow it.” – Jay Fredrich